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From: "Nakamura, Stacey T. (JSC-NC211)" <stacey.t.nakamura@nasa.gov>
Date: September 17, 2014 5:24:10 PM CDT
To: "Nakamura, Stacey T. (JSC-NC211)" <stacey.t.nakamura@nasa.gov>
Cc: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Subject: FW: JSC Today - Wednesday, September 17, 2014
From: JSC Today [jsc-jsctoday@mail.nasa.gov]
Sent: Wednesday, September 17, 2014 6:00 AM
To: JSC-Today
Subject: JSC Today - Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Wednesday, September 17, 2014 Read JSC Today in your browser View Archives
Headlines
- Reader's Digest Honors JSC's Cranially Blessed
Yes, we're famous for rocket scientists, but we also have big brains of all varieties at JSC. This month's Reader's Digest special Genius edition features a series called Faces of America. Two JSC folks were included in the "everyday geniuses" garnered from across the country. Find out who on JSC Features—and read more about them!
JSC External Relations, Office of Communications and Public Affairs x35111
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- JSC & WSTF Remote Access VPN/R2S Upgrade Sept. 17
The JSC and White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) Remote Access systems will be upgraded today, Sept. 17, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. (CDT).
This outage will affect JSC VPN, JSC R2S, WSTF VPN and WSTF R2S.
This activity should take about 10 to 15 minutes, and access to these Remote Access resources will be unavailable, or intermittently down, while the Information Resources Directorate performs upgrades.
This upgrade will NOT require users to upgrade their existing VPN/RSA client software.
For information on Remote Network Access services and assistance:
We apologize for the inconvenience and are working diligently to improve your VPN experience.
For questions regarding outage/update activity, please contact Michael Patterson.
JSC-IRD-Outreach x30146
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- Flight Controllers AND Flight Instructors Wanted
Test Subject Screening (TSS) is seeking flight controllers AND flight instructors to evaluate a self-guided, multimedia stress management and resilience training computer program called SMART-OP, which will be compared to an attention control group who will watch videos and read information on stress management. Volunteers will be randomly assigned to one of the two groups and:
- Attend one information session
- Complete two pre- and post-test assessments (60 to 90 minutes) involving questionnaires, neuropsychological tasks, physiological data and biomarker assays
- Attend six weekly stress management training sessions (30 to 60 minutes)
- Attend a three-month follow-up, equaling a total of 10 session contacts
Volunteers must be healthy non-smokers taking no medications. Individuals must pass or have a current Category I physical.
Volunteers will be compensated. (Restriction apply to NASA civil servants and some contractors. Individuals should contact their Human Resources department.) Please contact Linda Byrd, RN, x3-7284, and Rori Yager, RN, x37240.
Linda Byrd x37284
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- New NASA@work Challenge: Check it Out
A new challenge has been posted on NASA@work: "Identifying Barriers to Going Paperless: How Can Your Department Become Paper-Free?" Read more about this challenge and submit your solution ideas to overcome barriers to becoming a paperless organization to challenge owner Michelle Fraser-Page today. And, don't forget to check out our other active challenge, "Follow-Up Challenge: Vote for Your Favorite Theme for the NASA@work Incentive Program!" Vote for your favorite NASA@work award theme.
Are you new to NASA@work? NASA@work is an agencywide, collaborative problem-solving platform that connects the collective knowledge of experts (like YOU) from all centers across NASA. Challenge owners post problems, and members of the NASA@work community participate by responding with their solutions to posted problems. Anyone can participate! Click here for more information.
Kathryn Keeton 281-826-9792 https://nasa.innocentive.com
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- SWAT Training
Please be aware that the JSC SWAT team will be conducting training in Building 262 today, Sept. 17, from 6 to 10 p.m.
Russ Tucker x38311
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Organizations/Social
- Today: Out & Allied @ JSC ERG Meeting
All JSC team members (government, contractor, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender [LGBT] and non-LGBT allies) are invited to the Out & Allied @ JSC Employee Resource Group (ERG) meeting today, Sept. 17, from noon to 1 p.m. in Building 4S, Room 1200.
Oct. 11 is National Coming Out Day (NCOD). Come learn about the history of NCOD and help with the planning for our own JSC Coming Out Day event next month. Also, the JSC LGBT and Allies Survey was launched last week—find out more about it.
Please join us to help, meet others and network! For more information about our group, including how to become involved, contact any listed Out & Allied member on our SharePoint site.
Event Date: Wednesday, September 17, 2014 Event Start Time:12:00 PM Event End Time:1:00 PM
Event Location: Bldg 4S/Rm. 1200
Add to Calendar
Barbara Conte x31961 https://collaboration.ndc.nasa.gov/iierg/LGBTA/SitePages/Home.aspx
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- HERG Announces Recipients of the SOL Awards
The Hispanic Employee Resource Group (HERG) presented the inaugural SOL Awards yesterday as part the kickoff to Hispanic Heritage Month/Mes de la Herencia Hispana. SOL stands for service, outreach and leadership.
The SOL Award for Service was presented to Sylvia Stottlemyer for her continued support of HERG events, operations and programs.
The SOL Award for Outreach was presented to Michael Ruiz for his active support and championing of employee engagement, educational outreach, and community involvement as an ambassador of the HERG.
The SOL Award for Leadership was presented to Libby Moreno for her dedication, initiative and volunteerism, which has enabled the HERG to be effective and impactful.
The HERG congratulates all the SOL Award recipients. Bravo!
HERG Officers https://collaboration.ndc.nasa.gov/iierg/hispanic/default.aspx
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Jobs and Training
- NASA or JSC Forms Users – Demo Sept. 23 and 25
Beginning Sept. 22, employees who go to the JSC Forms website will be re-directed to the new NASA Electronic Forms (NEF) Portal. The NEF Portal will be the central repository for all NASA and JSC forms.
In addition, the Desktop eForms application (FileNet) is at its end of life and no longer runs on the latest Mac operating systems (version 10.7/OS X Lion and above). Adobe LiveCycle Enterprise Suite 4 is the new agency forms solution replacing FileNet.
The JSC Forms Team will conduct a demonstration of the new NEF Portal and Adobe LiveCycle functionality.
Dates: Sept. 23 and 25
Time: 2 to 3 p.m.
Location: Building 30 Auditorium
Please plan to attend if you are interested in learning more.
For more information on the Electronic Forms Initiative (EFI), reference the EFI fact sheet or email JSC Forms.
Event Date: Tuesday, September 23, 2014 Event Start Time:2:00 PM Event End Time:3:00 PM
Event Location: Building 30 Auditorium
Add to Calendar
JSC IRD Outreach x40118 http://ird.jsc.nasa.gov/InfoPedia/Wiki%20Pages/JSC%20EFI%20Fact%20Sheet....
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- Flash Infrared Thermography Webinar Tomorrow
Get registered and share with your industry friends! Researchers at JSC have developed an infrared (IR) flash thermography software program and method capable of detecting and characterizing anomalies such as voids, cracks and delamination in nonmetallic structures with higher fidelity and sensitivity than other available techniques.
This software has applications in nondestructive evaluation (NDE) testing for various materials and surfaces, IR camera manufacturing and IR thermography analysis. NASA owns one patent for this technology, and another is pending. Dr. Ajay Koshti, the lead NDE engineer at JSC, will provide an overview of this patented technology, which is available for licensing.
The webinar will take place tomorrow, Sept. 18, at 1 p.m. CDT. Find out more and get registered here.
Event Date: Thursday, September 18, 2014 Event Start Time:1:00 PM Event End Time:2:00 PM
Event Location: Webinar - See info. in announcement
Add to Calendar
Sonia Hernandez-Moya x31752
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- ISS EDMS User Forum
The International Space Station (ISS) Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) team will hold the monthly General User Training Forum tomorrow, Sept. 18, at 9:30 a.m. in Building 4S, Room 5315. Lync meeting and telecom will be provided.
If you use EDMS to locate station documents, join us to learn about basic navigation and searching. Bring your questions, concerns and suggestions, and meet the EDMS Customer Service team. The agenda is located here.
Event Date: Thursday, September 18, 2014 Event Start Time:9:30 AM Event End Time:10:30 AM
Event Location: JSC Bldg 4S, Room 5315
Add to Calendar
LaNell Cobarruvias x41306 https://iss-www.jsc.nasa.gov/nwo/apps/edms/web/UserForums.shtml
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- I&I Training Class: Managing Across Cultures
The Hispanic Employee Resource Group is proud to partner with the Inclusion & Innovation (I&I) Office to bring a training class to JSC as part of Hispanic Heritage Month/Mes de la Herencia Hispana. The "Managing Across Cultures" training class is on Monday, Sept. 22, from 1 to 4 p.m. in Building 12, Room 152.
This workshop brings to light the differences in leadership, communication and conflict styles across cultures, and how these differences can cause misperceptions and misinterpretations leading to misunderstanding in the workplace. The workshop will address the common wrong ways to deal with differences and lead experiential exercises designed to develop skills to effectively deal with differences to prevent misunderstanding. This workshop is insightful on the hidden diversity we bring to the work environment.
Event Date: Monday, September 22, 2014 Event Start Time:1:00 PM Event End Time:4:00 PM
Event Location: B12/152
Add to Calendar
Diane Kutchinski x46490 https://satern.nasa.gov/
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Community
- Share Your Passion for Robotics, Curiosity - 9/18
Space Center Houston (SCH) REALLY needs your help! They are hosting an International Air and Space Symposium by conducting a series of webcasts. They could use your help tomorrow, Sept. 18, to talk about robotics and Curiosity. The webcast is from 2 to 3 p.m. at SCH—just sign up for this opportunity in V-CORPs. The symposium also needs mentors to help with the final event of the symposium—a three-day event from Nov. 6 to 9.
Check out all of the amazing opportunities in V-CORPs, because this isn't the only one!
For more information about the event itself, please contact LaTanya Miles with Space Center Houston at 281-283-4751, or contact your friendly V-CORPs administrator.
V-CORPs x25859
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- America Recycles Day: Environmental Poster Contest
JSC will be showcasing its recycling capabilities from Nov. 10 to 13. If you want to show off your creative side AND your environmental side, then the Environmental Poster Contest is just the thing for you.
Team up or individually create an 8.5" x 11" poster showcasing the theme of recycling/reducing/reusing and the environment. Set your imagination free and email your design to Alexandra Moore-VanDyke, or bring the hardcopy to Building 45, Room 614, by Oct. 9.
All submissions will be displayed in one location from Nov. 10 to 13, and one lucky winner will have theirs displayed in every building starting Nov. 10. The winner will be notified by Oct. 16. Showcase what recycling and the environment means to you and to JSC. Think outside the box, and think environmental! Good luck.
For more information, contact Alexandra Moore-VanDyke at x28255.
Alexandra Moore-VanDyke x28255
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- Texas High School Juniors Needed
High School Aerospace Scholars (HAS) needs Texas high school juniors. The application is currently open.
HAS is an interactive, online experience highlighted by a six-day residential summer experience at JSC. Students will explore science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) concepts, with an emphasis on space exploration during the online experience. Students who are selected to come to JSC will continue their STEM studies with hands-on team activities while mentored by NASA engineers and scientists. HAS is a great STEM opportunity for Texas high school juniors.
Check out the HAS website for the application deadline. For more information, watch "High School Aerospace Scholars: A Journey of Discovery."
Stacey Welch 281-792-8223 https://has.aerospacescholars.org/
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- JSC Child Care Center Has a Few Openings
JSC's Child Care Center has openings available to dependents of JSC civil servants and contractors.
Immediate openings:
- Children 15 to 32 months old
- Children currently 3 to 5 years old
Program Details:
1. Open 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Open Flex Fridays, but closed federal holidays.
2. Competitive pricing with other comparable child cares, but Space Family Education, Inc. includes more amenities.
3. Additional security. Badges required to get on-site, and an additional security code is required to get in the school's front door.
4. Accelerated curriculum in all classes with additional enrichment and extracurricular programs.
5. Convenience. Nearby and easy access for parents working on-site at JSC.
6. Breakfast, morning snack, lunch and afternoon snack are all included.
7. Video monitoring available from computers, androids and iPhones.
Interested parties should send an email with parent contact information and the child's date of birth.
Brooke Stephens x26031
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JSC Today is compiled periodically as a service to JSC employees on an as-submitted basis. Any JSC organization or employee may submit articles.
Disclaimer: Accuracy and content of these notes are the responsibility of the submitters.
NASA and Human Spaceflight NewsWednesday – September 17, 2014HEADLINES AND LEADSBoeing, SpaceX share $6.8 billion contracts to develop commercial crew capsulesWilliam Harwood – CBS NewsAerospace giant Boeing and newcomer SpaceX will share $6.8 billion in NASA contracts to build commercial space taxis to fly astronauts to and from the space station starting in 2017, ending reliance on Russia for access to low-Earth orbit and kick starting a new era of commercial space transportation, agency officials said Tuesday.NASA Picks Boeing and SpaceX to Ferry AstronautsMarcia Dunn - Associated PressNASA is a giant step closer to launching Americans again from U.S. soil.NASA awards space contracts to Boeing and SpaceXChristian Davenport - Washington PostNASA on Tuesday awarded a pair of much-anticipated contracts, worth up to $6.8 billion combined, to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station to Boeing and SpaceX in a deal that would allow the U.S. to launch astronauts into space from U.S. soil for the first time in years.Boeing and SpaceX Share $6.8 Billion in NASA Space Taxi ContractsCompanies Will Develop Spacecraft to Shuttle U.S. Astronauts to and from Orbiting LabsAndy Pasztor - Wall Street JournalNASA has awarded Boeing Co. BA +0.80% a contract worth as much as $4.2 billion and rival Space Exploration Technologies Corp. a separate pact valued at up to $2.6 billion to develop, test and fly space taxis to carry U.S. astronauts into orbit.2 Companies Will Take Americans to Space StationKenneth Chang - New York TimesBoeing and the Space Exploration Technologies Corporation are the winners in the competition to carry American astronauts to the International Space Station, NASA announced on Tuesday.Boeing, SpaceX win NASA contracts to fly crewsUSA TodayThe next time astronauts launch to orbit from here, they'll be strapped into a capsule emblazoned with a Boeing or SpaceX logo next to an American flag.Boeing, SpaceX win new 'space taxi' contractsScott Powers, Richard Burnett - Orlando SentinelThe next generation of America's manned spacecraft will be produced and operated by the private space-transportation companies Boeing and SpaceX, NASA said Tuesday.ULA and Blue Origin To Team Up for RD-180 ReplacementMike Gruss – Space NewsUnited Launch Alliance, which launches nearly all U.S. government satellites, and secretive rocket-making startup Blue Origin will announce a strategic partnership in rocket engine development at a Sept. 17 event in Washington, a source said Sept. 16.Louisville's Sierra Nevada Space left out of NASA space taxi contractThe Dream Chaser — the space shuttle in development by Sierra Nevada Corp.'s Louisville-based Space Systems — was left out in the cold Tuesday when NASA awarded contracts for a new space taxi.NASA's second shuttle carrier jet lands on public display in CaliforniaRobert Pearlman - Collectspace.comFor the second time this year, a NASA jumbo jet used to ferry space shuttles across the country has been moved for public display.Aerojet Rocketdyne opens new rocket engine development office in HuntsvilleLee Roop – Huntsville TimesAerojet Rocketdyne said Tuesday it is opening a rocket propulsion development office in Huntsville aimed at delivering a new rocket engine to replace a popular Russian engine now vulnerable to international tension.COMPLETE STORIESBoeing, SpaceX share $6.8 billion contracts to develop commercial crew capsulesWilliam Harwood – CBS NewsAerospace giant Boeing and newcomer SpaceX will share $6.8 billion in NASA contracts to build commercial space taxis to fly astronauts to and from the space station starting in 2017, ending reliance on Russia for access to low-Earth orbit and kick starting a new era of commercial space transportation, agency officials said Tuesday.Boeing will receive a $4.2 billion Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCAP) contract to continue development of the company's CST-100 capsule while SpaceX will receive $2.6 billion to press ahead with work to perfect its futuristic Dragon crew craft."Today's announcement sets the stage for what promises to be the most ambitious and exciting chapter in the history of NASA and human spaceflight," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden."From day one, the Obama administration has made it very clear that the greatest nation on Earth should not be dependent on any other nation to get into space. ... Today we're one step closer to launching our astronauts from U.S. soil on American spacecraft and ending the nation's sole reliance on Russia by 2017."Left out in the cold was defense contractor Sierra Nevada Corp., which is developing an innovative winged spaceplane known as the Dream Chaser that, unlike its competitors, is designed to glide to a runway landing like a mini space shuttle.Company officials have said they hoped to continue development of Dream Chaser with or without NASA money, but the company's near-term plans are not yet known.It also is not yet known whether Congress will appropriate enough money to fund the development of two spacecraft or whether NASA will be forced to down select to a single provider at some point down the road. But Bolden said he was confident Congress will provide the funding necessary to keep SpaceX and Boeing on track for maiden flights in the 2017 timeframe.Congress has appropriated about $2 billion for the commercial crew program since 2011, about a billion dollars less than NASA requested. The agency hopes to get around $800 million for the program in its fiscal 2015 budget.In any case, the space agency now plans to begin NASA-sanctioned flights carrying astronauts to the space station in 2017, using either the CST-100 or a Dragon V2. Or both, depending on how smoothly the development and certification process proceeds."Once NASA determines SpaceX and Boeing have met our requirements, the systems will be certified for NASA human spaceflight missions," said Kathy Lueders, manager of NASA's commercial crew program. "They will then conduct at least two and up to six missions under these contracts to deliver a crew of four to the International Space Station."These missions will also carry powered cargo and vital science experiments to the station and safely return them to U.S. soil. These missions will enable NASA and its international partners to perform more research, nearly doubling today's scientific research potential."The new spacecraft also will be able to serve as lifeboats for station crew members, remaining attached to the station for up to 210 days at a stretch and "keeping our crew members safe in the event of an emergency," Lueders said.Before regular missions begin, "Boeing and SpaceX will run their systems through rigorous ground tests," she added. "They also will perform at least one crewed flight test to the station with a NASA crew member aboard. During that flight test, they will demonstrate the ability to safely deliver crew and cargo, dock to the station and then return the crew safely home."The new spacecraft will be the first American vehicles to carry astronauts on NASA-sanctioned flights since the space shuttle's last mission in 2011. And they will be the first built as a commercial endeavor that represents a break with normal NASA practice in a bid to lower the cost of access to space.Just as important, supporters say, the spacecraft will end America's reliance on Russian Soyuz spacecraft for access to the $100 billion International Space Station. While NASA's use of Soyuz spacecraft will not end with the advent of U.S. space taxis, the agency will once again have independent access to low-Earth orbit using U.S. spacecraft launched from U.S. soil"You can't really be a serious leader in space if you can't get your people there on your own spaceship," John Logsdon said in an interview. "The relationship with Russia has been successful, it's cost us less money than doing it on our own. If we were still flying shuttles, we'd be paying a hell of a lot more than the cost of seats on a Soyuz."The commercial crew program "is both a real and symbolic indication that the United States is one of the leading space countries," he said.Astronaut Barry "Butch" Wilmore is scheduled for launch next week aboard a Soyuz spacecraft bound for the station. In a telephone interview from Moscow last week, Wilmore told CBS News "it's vitally important to our nation going forward in space exploration. We want to be able to build our own rockets and launch from our own (soil)."While the Russians have been good partners for NASA in the absence of a U.S. spacecraft "certainly we want to get back to that, we want to be able to do those types of things ourselves and we're working hard to get there. That's the big picture. From a personal standpoint, hopefully I get assigned for the first one!"Boeing's CST-100 spacecraft is a state-of-the-art capsule incorporating weld-less fabrication, flight proven navigation software, powerful "pusher" escape rockets to propel the capsule away from a malfunctioning booster and a parachute-and-airbag landing system.The spacecraft can carry up to seven astronauts and will be launched atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, one of the most reliable boosters in the U.S. inventory.SpaceX, owned and operated by entrepreneur Elon Musk, already holds a $1.6 billion contract to deliver supplies to the International Space Station with its uncrewed Dragon cargo ships.Musk has made no secret of his personal ambition to help launch astronauts to low-Earth orbit and, eventually, to Mars, using a futuristic spacecraft known as Dragon V2 that he unveiled in July.The crewed Dragon also would carry up to seven crew members, featuring pull-down flat-screen instrument displays, a powerful escape rocket system and sophisticated computer control."SpaceX is deeply honored by the trust NASA has placed in us," Musk said in a statement."We welcome today's decision and the mission it advances with gratitude and seriousness of purpose. It is a vital step in a journey that will ultimately take us to the stars and make humanity a multi-planet species."The Dragon crew craft will launch atop SpaceX-built Falcon 9 rockets, boosters that Musk advertises for sale at around $60 million each. The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket is powered by a Russian RD-180 first stage engine and goes for around $150 million per vehicle.How that price disparity played into the unequal contract awards was not immediately clear.But Musk has launched a wide-ranging attack on the Atlas 5, arguing its reliance on the Russian-built RD-180 makes it vulnerable to politics at a time when superpower relations are deteriorating. Musk also has filed a lawsuit protesting SpaceX's exclusion from Air Force contracts for near-term military missions using ULA's Delta 4 and Atlas 5 boosters.How the RD-180 concern might have played into NASA's decision is not known, but ULA is studying options for replacing the RD-180 at some point in the future..Regardless of the booster used, both Boeing and SpaceX envision customers beyond NASA.Boeing has partnered with Bigelow Aerospace, which hopes to build a commercial space station using inflatable modules that could serve as a base of operations for university researchers, space tourists and astronauts from non space-faring nations. Boeing managers have said the CST-100 would support Bigelow's ambitions if the company won the contract.SpaceX also has grand plans for commercial exploitation of space, including eventual flights to deep space. Musk has said on multiple occasions that his long range goal is nothing less than the colonization of Mars."It's very important, not just that the United States is getting its independence back and is not going to be relying on the Russians, but we are, I don't know, what, 50 years kind of overdue getting the private sector involved in space," Joan Johnson Freese, professor of national security affairs at the U.S. Naval War College, said in an interview."To me, that's the bigger part of this puzzle. Anything related to space development that can be moved out of government hands and into the private sector is a step toward normalizing space. ... Anything that takes us closer to a normal pattern of development I think is a big deal."The commercial crew and cargo programs are a direct result of the 2003 destruction of the shuttle Columbia during re-entry. In the wake of the disaster, the Bush administration ordered NASA to complete the space station and retire the shuttle by the end of the decade.In their place, the agency was tasked with developing new rockets and spacecraft for eventual flights to the moon and establishment of semi-permanent research stations on the surface.NASA came up with the Constellation program to carry out those directives and began development of a Saturn 5-class super rocket to loft lunar landers and habitats and a smaller booster to launch crews on moon-bound missions or to the space station.But the Obama administration ordered a dramatic change of course, opting to cancel Constellation and bypass the moon in favor of a "flexible path" architecture that called for two families of rockets and spacecraft with two different objectives.NASA is now developing a heavy-lift rocket known as the Space Launch System, or SLS, that will boost the Constellation program's Orion capsule on crewed missions to retrieve and explore a small asteroid before eventual flights to the vicinity of Mars.The first unpiloted test flight of an Orion capsule is planned for December. The first crewed mission is not expected before 2021.But the SLS/Orion system is too expensive for routine use to low-Earth orbit. The Obama administration, in a bid to encourage development of commercial crewed spacecraft, supported a competition using NASA contracts to finance private-sector spacecraft that the government would then lease, or rent, for flights to the station."It's a little bit different than our traditional space flight programs in that we are transitioning some of the responsibilities over to the private sector," Phil McAllister, a senior NASA manager, told CBS News in a recent interview. "It used to be in a traditional NASA program, NASA would make almost all the decisions about the design, we would own and operate the hardware and we would be primarily responsible for its operation."In this context for commercial crew it's pretty much a public, private partnership," he said. "NASA is providing financial investment and our expertise and lessons learned to the companies who are really responsible for developing the hardware. It's really them making the decisions about the design. They are going to own and operate these systems and through this partnership, we hope to get safe, reliable and cost effective U.S. access to space, hopefully very quickly."As the shuttle program was winding down, NASA envisioned a two-year gap between the end of shuttle operations and the debut of a replacement vehicle. That gap has stretched into six years, and possibly more, because of funding shortfalls and conflicting priorities in Congress.Between 2011 and 2014, NASA requested $3 billion for commercial crew. Congress appropriated only $1.927 billion, according to Space Policy Online, a billion-dollar shortfall that has stretched out development and pushed the initial NASA-sponsored flights to 2017.NASA has requested $848 million in its fiscal 2015 budget, but it's not yet clear how much the agency ultimately will receive. The House and Senate have not yet settled on a final number, but another shortfall of $50 million or more is expected.Developing multiple crewed spacecraft -- Orion and now, the CST-100 and Dragon V2 -- has led to conflicting priorities on Capitol Hill. Supporters of the Orion/Space Launch System want to ensure steady funding to permit deep space exploration while protecting jobs in states like Alabama where the hardware is built.Supporters of the commercial crew initiative argue it is crucial for NASA to end its reliance on the Russians for basic space transportation. Given the high cost of flying on a Soyuz -- more than $80 million a seat under the current contract -- and deteriorating superpower relations in the wake of Russia's actions in Ukraine, supporters say it is vital for the commercial crew program to receive full funding.NASA started the competition to build a commercial crewed spacecraft in 2011, with the first in a series of contracts intended to encourage innovative designs for reliable, affordable transportation to and from low-Earth orbit.The most recent contracts, awarded in 2012, gave SpaceX $440 million to develop detailed plans for launching the crewed Dragon capsule. Boeing won $460 million to develop plans for its CST-100 capsule while Sierra Nevada received $212.5 million to continue development of a winged lifting body that would land on a runway.Many space insiders believed SpaceX would offer the least expensive alternative and a more innovative design while Boeing would provide the most reliability based on decades of space experience."Human space flight has been at our core since day one," John Mulholland, Boeing's commercial crew program manager, told CBS News in a recent interview. "In fact, every (U.S.) capsule that has taken United States astronauts to space has been a product that Boeing has developed in partnership with NASA."NASA Picks Boeing and SpaceX to Ferry AstronautsMarcia Dunn - Associated PressNASA is a giant step closer to launching Americans again from U.S. soil.On Tuesday, the space agency picked Boeing and SpaceX to transport astronauts to the International Space Station in the next few years.NASA Administrator Charles Bolden named the winners of the competition at Kennedy Space Center, next door to where the launches should occur in a few years. The wall behind him was emblazoned with the words "Launch America" and "Commercial crew transportation/The mission is in sight.""I want you to look behind me," Bolden said, pointing both thumbs to the big, bright logos. "I'm giddy today, I will admit."The deal will end NASA's expensive reliance on Russia to ferry astronauts to and from the space station. NASA has set a goal of 2017 for the first launch from Cape Canaveral, but stressed it will not sacrifice safety to meet that date.NASA ended up going with a blend of old and new space: big traditional Boeing, which helped build the space station and prepped the space shuttles, and smaller, scrappier upstart SpaceX. Just 12 years old, the California-based SpaceX already is delivering supplies to the space station — its crew capsule is a version of its cargo carrier.NASA will pay Boeing $4.2 billion and SpaceX $2.6 billion to certify, test and fly their crew capsules. The two contracts call for at least two and as many as six missions for a crew of four as well as supplies and scientific experiments, said NASA's Kathy Lueders, commercial crew program manager. The spacecraft will double as emergency lifeboats at the orbiting outpost.SpaceX billionaire founder and chief executive, Elon Musk, was elated by Tuesday's news, as were Boeing's top managers."Deeply honored and appreciative of the trust that NASA has placed in SpaceX for the future of human spaceflight," Musk said in a tweet.Noted Boeing's John Elbon, vice president and general manager of space exploration: "Boeing has been part of every American human space flight program, and we're honored that NASA has chosen us to continue that legacy."The third major contender, Sierra Nevada Corp., had the most novel entry, a mini-shuttle named Dream Chaser that it was developing in Colorado.NASA officials declined to elaborate on the decision and why Sierra Nevada lost out. In a statement, Sierra Nevada said it would wait to hear NASA's rationale before commenting further on the options for its spacecraft. While disappointed that it wasn't selected, the company said it "commends NASA for initiating the effort."U.S. astronauts have been riding Russian rockets ever since NASA's space shuttles retired in 2011. The latest price tag is $71 million per seat; NASA puts at least four of its astronauts on a Russian Soyuz every year. SpaceX has indicated its seats will cost $20 million apiece."From day one, the Obama administration has made it very clear that the greatest nation on Earth should not be dependent on any other nation to get into space," Bolden told reporters.The commercial crew program follows the successful cargo delivery effort underway for the past two years, also under NASA contract. The objective, for years, has been for NASA to hand space station flights to private companies and focus on getting astronauts into true outer space, with destinations such as asteroids and Mars. NASA is prepping its first-ever Orion deep-space exploration capsule for an unmanned test flight in December.Musk's Space Exploration Technologies Corp. — SpaceX for short — became the first private company to launch a spacecraft into orbit and retrieve it in 2010. The SpaceX Dragon capsule made its first space station trip, with astronaut supplies, in 2012.The Dragon cargo carrier has been enhanced to carry as many as seven astronauts. It's known as Dragon v2 — version two.Orbital Sciences Corp. of Virginia, which also makes unmanned space station shipments, did not vie for crew-carrying privileges.Boeing's entry was also a capsule, called CST-100. The letters stand for Crew Space Transportation, and the number refers to 100 kilometers or 62 miles, the official start of space. Boeing will use a former shuttle hangar at Kennedy to build the capsules.Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said Boeing alone will add 550 jobs to Cape Canaveral, welcome news for a region still struggling economically from the shuttle shutdown.Both spacecraft will meet rigorous safety standards for the astronauts who will fly on them, officials stressed. CST-100 will fly atop an Atlas V rocket, while SpaceX will use its own Falcon 9 rocket. NASA astronaut Mike Fincke noted that while the capsules may be small, they're carrying "big expectations."NASA paid each of these three major contenders hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years to spur development.The differing amounts of these two new contracts were based on each company's proposal, Lueders said.Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin company in Washington state received NASA funding in the early rounds of competition, then said it would continue working on its own, unfunded by the government. The company had given sparse details about its progress and intent.Rocket maker United Launch Alliance, which is behind the Atlas V, scheduled a news conference on Wednesday with Bezos to discuss a possible collaboration. The company has been under pressure, given the political tension between the two countries, to come up with a backup for the Russian-built main engine in the Atlas V.NASA awards space contracts to Boeing and SpaceXChristian Davenport - Washington PostNASA on Tuesday awarded a pair of much-anticipated contracts, worth up to $6.8 billion combined, to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station to Boeing and SpaceX in a deal that would allow the U.S. to launch astronauts into space from U.S. soil for the first time in years.Speaking from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said the contracts set "the stage for what promises to be the most ambitious and exciting chapter in the history of NASA and human spaceflight." Relying so heavily on contractors to take astronauts to space would allow the agency "to focus on an even more ambitious mission--that of sending humans to Mars," he said.The announcement of the "commercial crew" awards is a big step toward allowing the U.S. to end its reliance on Russia, which has been ferrying American astronauts to the space station since the retirement of the space shuttle three years ago. The arrangement hasn't been cheap: the Russians currently charge $71 million per seat, and NASA has in a single year sent more than $400 million to Russia for these taxi rides. If the schedule doesn't slip, and Boeing and SpaceX prove their vehicles are safe, NASA should see its astronauts launched on U.S. soil with American rockets by as early as 2017.The awards represent a significant shift for NASA, which has long owned and operated its own rockets. Instead of going to space on government-owned vehicles, NASA's astronauts would essentially rent space on ships provided by Boeing and SpaceX.The contracts "highlight what commercial companies can accomplish and we are counting on them to deliver our most precious cargo," said Kathy Lueders, NASA's commercial crew program manager.In addition to continuing to develop and test the companies' vehicles, each contract calls for up to six flights to the space station once the ships are certified by NASA.Boeing's contract is worth up to $4.2 billion; SpaceX's is valued at $2.6 billion. Lueders would not say exactly why Boeing received more but indicated that SpaceX proposed doing the work for less. Both contracts "have the same requirements and the companies proposed the value for which they were able to do the work, and the government accepted that," she said.For SpaceX, which is already the first private company to deliver cargo to the space station, the award is further evidence that it has transformed from start-up to a major a player in an industry long dominated by large, traditional companies, such as Boeing.The two companies represent vastly different cultures in the space industry. Boeing is a so-called "old space" stalwart with decades of experience, contacts and lobbying might. SpaceX is the upstart California-based company founded by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk that has gleefully played the role of disrupter.Musk, who also runs Tesla Motors, sued the Air Force earlier this year on a separate contract to launch military payloads, such as satellites, into space. He argued that SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket was a less expensive alternative that should be able to compete against the United Launch Alliance, the joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin, which currently holds the contract.Musk has relentlessly criticized Boeing for using the Atlas V, which uses a Russian-made engine.United Launch Alliance is expected to counter that tomorrow by announcing that Blue Origin, the space startup founded by Amazon.com founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos, would develop an American-made engine for the Atlas V, according to a person who is close to the arrangement who was not authorized to speak publicly.Bezos and ULA chief executive Tory Bruno are scheduled to hold a news conference Wednesday afternoon at the National Press Club.ULA spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment. Blue Origin declined to comment.Some lawmakers wanted NASA to go with a single company — and Boeing was always a front-runner. But others are pleased that the awards are going to two companies in an effort to foster competition and keep prices down."I think that's the most important aspect of the decision -- that it is two companies," said Michael Lopez-Alegria, the president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. "I'm more or less agnostic on which two companies but preserving competition is absolutely the right choice."Boeing offers a CST-100 capsule, which lands with parachutes and on cushions that deploy from the capsule. SpaceX's Dragon capsule uses propulsion to land and can touch down, the company says, with the precision of a helicopter.John Mulholland, vice president of commercial programs for Boeing Space Exploration, said the award was a natural extension of Boeing's decades of work in the space program."We're just really excited. We're really proud to be able to continue our human spaceflight legacy. We've been partnering with NASA on every human spaceflight program dating back to Mercury," NASA's first manned-spaceflight program.In a statement, Musk, who wants to colonize Mars, said the award "is a vital step in a journey that will ultimately take us to the stars and make humanity a multi-planet species."Left out in the cold is Sierra Nevada Corp., which had developed a winged space plane known as the Dream Chaser that looked like a miniature space shuttle.NASA hopes that investing government money into private enterprises will help touch off a broader commercial space industry. In addition to NASA, foreign governments, scientists and the super rich would also be able to buy seats on the ships, officials say.Boeing and SpaceX Share $6.8 Billion in NASA Space Taxi ContractsCompanies Will Develop Spacecraft to Shuttle U.S. Astronauts to and from Orbiting LabsAndy Pasztor - Wall Street JournalNASA has awarded Boeing Co. BA +0.80% a contract worth as much as $4.2 billion and rival Space Exploration Technologies Corp. a separate pact valued at up to $2.6 billion to develop, test and fly space taxis to carry U.S. astronauts into orbit.The American-built rockets and spacecraft would replace the Russian systems that currently provide the only access to the international space station. The space taxi is slated to transport its first astronaut to the orbiting laboratory by 2017.Tuesday's long-awaited announcement by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration marks a milestone for commercial space ventures, partly because both companies will own and operate the equipment while experiencing significantly less day-to-day federal oversight than previous manned space programs.The final value of the contracts, which likely will run past the end of the decade, depends on each of the contractors meeting specified timetables and obtaining NASA certification of their rockets and capsules for safety and reliability. Assuming the companies win those approvals, the contracts will cover as many as a dozen missions overall to shuttle astronauts and limited amounts of cargo to and from the space station.The awards highlight the challenges of stretching limited federal dollars—and trying to meet aggressive schedules—while supporting two separate, full-fledged contractor teams.Lawmakers and some outside space experts have repeatedly warned NASA's leaders that funding levels of roughly $700 million a year might be inadequate for the project, particularly to cope with unexpected engineering hurdles or test failures.NASA chief Charles Bolden said the awards set the stage for "the most ambitious and exciting chapter in the history of NASA and human space flight."If the programs are successful, NASA officials believe some of the hardware eventually could be used to offer rides to space tourists. Other technology could be adapted in separate NASA efforts to develop a deep-space rocket and more-capable capsules intended to take astronauts to Mars in coming decades.NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said the awards set the stage for 'the most ambitious and exciting chapter ... in human space flight.'Reflecting NASA and White House policy goals, NASA opted for two contractors to spur competition, cut overall technical risk and hopefully keep a lid on prices.Even if NASA's plans work out, lack of international support may end up creating a new problem: the space station, or at least parts of it, could be closed as early as the middle of the next decade if various countries cut off financial support. That would leave the nascent space-taxi program looking for new destinations.For now, though, Mr. Bolden told reporters the contracts fulfill President Barack Obama's pledge to end NASA's dependence on Russia and return to using U.S.-built boosters and spacecraft to achieve orbit. The last U.S. space shuttle, which fulfilled that role, was mothballed three years ago.Boeing's larger share of the project, which had been expected, stems partly from the higher operating costs and larger overhead it has built up over decades as a NASA contractor, government and independent space experts said. But, according to these experts, Boeing's award also reflects the higher score it garnered in some of NASA's technical rankings.Boeing's proposed technology met all of the agency's design review requirements, the experts said, while the system proposed by SpaceX, as the Southern California company is known, fell short in some areas.NASA officials emphasized that the size of the awards underscores SpaceX's reputation as a nimble, low-cost supplier. Founded by former Web entrepreneur Elon Musk, SpaceX has grown rapidly and proven itself as a reliable shipper of cargo to the space station. The manned capsule it plans to use to carry astronauts is an upgraded version of its Dragon cargo capsule, already in use.In previous commercial development efforts, NASA ended up awarding SpaceX basically the same amount as it did the company's chief rivals. In those instances, the gap amounted to between 3% and 10% less for SpaceX. This time, the difference was close to 25% of the total.In a statement, Boeing stressed its work for NASA stretching back to the dawn of the space age. "Boeing has been part of every American human-space-flight program, and we're honored that NASA has chosen us to continue that legacy," said John Elbon, general manager of the Chicago-based company's space exploration unit.Mr. Musk, who is SpaceX's chief executive and chief designer, said the company accepted the award with "gratitude and seriousness of purpose." In a statement, he described the contract as "a vital step in a journey that will ultimately take us to the stars" and other planets.Prior to the announcement at the Kennedy Space Center, NASA faced conflicting pressures from the White House and senior House Republicans. From the time the Obama administration shook up NASA's bureaucracy by proposing commercial space taxis, the agency has been keen to maintain competition. But over the years, congressional leaders have crafted legislative language and otherwise urged Mr. Bolden and his top managers to pick just one contractor for this phase of the effort, to avoid redundant spending.In the end, NASA opted for competition but devised a series of reviews and procedures enabling it to withhold funds from either contractor if agency officials determined progress was flagging.NASA invested close to $1.5 billion in seed money before making the latest awards, and both winners are subject to fixed-price contracts.Sierra Nevada Corp., the third company vying for an award, didn't get a contract despite some initial support inside and outside NASA for its design. The company proposed a winged vehicle—resembling a conventional aircraft —that would launch vertically atop an Atlas V rocket but return by landing on a runway. Such a spacecraft would have "long-term reusability" to significantly reduce operating costs, according to George Torres, a former industry official and author of books on space. "That's why the arguments were so vociferous."Once NASA decided to award Boeing the bulk of the funds, according to Mr. Torres, support for Sierra Nevada dropped dramatically because both companies envisioned using the Atlas V rocket. Under all circumstances, according to Mr. Torres and others, NASA wanted two different rockets in the mix.But throughout the news conference, and in the comments of some lawmakers reacting to the awards, much of the emphasis was on NASA's plans to go beyond low-Earth orbit and ultimately to other planets. Robert Cabana, director of the Kennedy Space Center, described the new industry-government partnerships being forged as the "first step from planet earth to going on to Mars someday."In the same vein, Mr. Bolden devoted a large portion of his remarks to discussing future launches and tests of NASA's Orion capsule, designed to explore the solar system beyond the space station. But unlike the commercially driven contracts for space taxis, Orion and the boosters that are intended to blast it into space are being developed by NASA under more-traditional contracts mandating closer agency oversight. Boeing has a major role in that effort.2 Companies Will Take Americans to Space StationKenneth Chang - New York TimesBoeing and the Space Exploration Technologies Corporation are the winners in the competition to carry American astronauts to the International Space Station, NASA announced on Tuesday.The awards reflect a fundamental shift in NASA's human spaceflight program, relying on private companies rather than the traditional hands-on approach, in which the space agency designed and operated the spacecraft.The first flights could take off as soon as 2017."We have credible plans for both companies to get there by that period of time," Kathryn Lueders, the manager for NASA's commercial crew program, said during a news conference on Tuesday. "We will not sacrifice crew safety for that goal."Boeing received a $4.2 billion contract. Space Exploration Technologies — better known as SpaceX, of Hawthorne, Calif. — received a $2.6 billion contract."Today we're one step closer to launching our astronauts from U.S. soil on American spacecraft and ending the nation's sole reliance on Russia," said Charles F. Bolden Jr., the NASA administrator.Since the retirement of the space shuttles in 2011, NASA has had no way to send its astronauts into orbit, relying on the venerable Russian Soyuz spacecraft for transportation to and from the International Space Station at a cost of $70 million per seat.That became a politically uncomfortable arrangement after Russia's annexation of Crimea and support of pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine.John Mulholland, commercial crew manager at Boeing, said NASA had called just before the news conference to tell him his company had won the competition.Under the contracts, Boeing and SpaceX will finish development of their spacecraft. Boeing's CST-100 capsule, configured to carry up to five people, will launch on an Atlas 5 rocket. SpaceX's Dragon 2 capsule, a sleeker, updated version of the capsule already carrying cargo to the space station, will ride on top of the company's Falcon 9 rocket.The bids from the two companies covered the same tasks. Boeing's proposal was more expensive, in part because the Atlas 5 is more expensive than the Falcon 9.A third company, Sierra Nevada Space Systems, of Louisville, Colo., had proposed a design that resembled a mini-space shuttle that would land on aircraft runways. A statement from the company said it would review its options.Much of the money allotted to SpaceX and Boeing in the next three years will go to meeting NASA's certification requirements for performance and safety. As part of that process, each company will conduct a test flight to the space station with a crew that is to include at least one NASA astronaut.Once the companies are certified, NASA has promised each at least two missions. The full contract amounts will be paid if NASA orders six missions from each company.With each flight taking four astronauts, the space station crew will be able to grow to seven, from six. NASA officials said that additional crew member would allow the agency to double the amount of science conducted.The Boeing and SpaceX capsules will also serve as lifeboats for the space station crew in case of an emergency. The commercial crew program came out of the cancellation of an earlier program started under the Bush administration to send astronauts back to the moon.That effort relied on two rockets designed and operated by NASA. The Obama administration concluded that approach was too expensive and canceled the rockets.Instead, the administration built on another Bush-era initiative. NASA had hired two companies, SpaceX and the Orbital Sciences Corporation of Vienna, Va., to fly cargo to the space station. Beginning in 2010, NASA began a similar competition to choose companies to carry astronauts, not just cargo.The hope is that the commercial approach will spur a space travel industry far larger than just NASA. Boeing, for example, hopes that the fifth seat in its CST-100 capsule could carry a paying tourist to the space station. "We'll be working with NASA to try and bring that to reality," Mr. Mulholland said.Both Boeing and SpaceX are working with Bigelow Aerospace, a Las Vegas company that plans to launch private space stations into orbit, to be leased to nations or companies."We're going to be aggressive to cultivate the business beyond NASA," said John Elbon, vice president and general manager for space exploration at Boeing.Boeing, SpaceX win NASA contracts to fly crewsUSA TodayThe next time astronauts launch to orbit from here, they'll be strapped into a capsule emblazoned with a Boeing or SpaceX logo next to an American flag.NASA on Tuesday named those two companies — one from the aerospace establishment, the other a rising "new space" phenomenon — the winners of a competition to launch crews to the International Space Station on private space taxis by 2017.Worth up to $6.8 billion combined, the contracts include at least one crewed test flight to the station, then two to six operational flights of four-person crews.Those missions will end a gap in human space flight from U.S. soil that began with the shuttle's last flight in 2011. U.S. crews now rely on Russia for rides to orbit."The greatest nation on Earth should not be dependent on any other nation to get into space," said NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden said during a 4 p.m. ET announcement at Kennedy Space Center. "Today we're one step closer to launching our astronauts from U.S. soil on American spacecraft and ending the nation's sole reliance on Russia by 2017."Boeing and SpaceX beat out Sierra Nevada Corp., developer of a mini-shuttle that offered the only alternative to the Boeing and SpaceX capsules, called CST-100 and Dragon, respectively.Sierra Nevada has said it hopes to continue developing its Dream Chaser even without NASA support.NASA awarded Boeing significantly more money, up to $4.2 billion compared to $2.6 billion for SpaceX. That apparently reflects the higher cost of Boeing's proposal, as NASA said the proposals covered the same amount of work."Boeing has been part of every American human space flight program, and we're honored that NASA has chosen us to continue that legacy," said John Elbon, Boeing vice president and general manager for Space Exploration, in a statement.Added SpaceX CEO Elon Musk: "SpaceX is deeply honored by the trust NASA has placed in us. We welcome today's decision and the mission it advances with gratitude and seriousness of purpose."NASA would not say how many proposals it received or discuss their details, saying it was still debriefing the companies.The agency would not confirm if the new commercial spacecraft offer a significantly better value per seat than the $70 million NASA is paying for Russian Soyuz spacecraft.The agency insisted that the "service" flights with full crews would not proceed until each company proved its system met NASA's safety standards.They certification process will emphasize "a feature which we astronauts truly value: safety first," said astronaut Mike Fincke, a veteran of shuttle and Soyuz flights, at the KSC news conference.The awards should give a boost to the Space Coast economy over the next several years. Boeing plans to base its Commercial Crew Program headquarters here, adding up to 550 local jobs. SpaceX has not discussed jobs, but would likely add far fewer.Boeing's win helps Space Florida, which is spending about $20 million to renovate a former shuttle hangar, engine shop and offices at KSC that it has agreed to lease to Boeing.Boeing plans to assemble three CST-100 crew and service modules in the modernized facilities, which might otherwise have gone unused. They now represent KSC's biggest success transitioning unneeded former shuttle facilities for commercial use, along with NASA's 20-year lease of launch pad 39A to SpaceX."This validates everything that we've been doing," said KSC Director Bob Cabana."Today's announcement is continued good news for Florida and for the nation," added Space Florida CEO Frank DiBello. "Both Boeing and SpaceX have already invested significant time and resources into establishing commercial crew operations here in Florida and we look forward to working hand in hand with both companies to make their upcoming missions successful."Boeing's CST-100 will launch atop United Launch Alliance Atlas V rockets from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 41.In a surprise to many, Boeing has partnered with Blue Origin, the startup founded by Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos, to develop an engine that could potentially replace the Atlas V's Russian-made main engine, whose continued availability is considered a risk.ULA and Blue Origin plan to host a press conference Wednesday in Washington, D.C.SpaceX will launch crews with its Falcon 9 rocket and an upgraded Dragon capsule from KSC's pad 39A, a former Saturn V and shuttle pad.Those launches should help restore KSC's identity as an important center for human spaceflight, years before a crew is scheduled to launch an exploration mission in an Orion spacecraft.SpaceX is scheduled to launch a Dragon early Saturday from Cape Canaveral on the company's fourth ISS cargo resupply mission under a $1.6 billion NASA contract.NASA began funding development of private crew taxis in 2010 and has spent more than $1.4 billion among a group of companies so far.In addition to launching NASA crews safe and more affordably than shuttles could, it's hoped the new commercial spacecraft will open a market for flights of non-NASA astronauts to low Earth orbit, possibly someday to private space stations."When I see the CST-100 and the crewed Dragon, I can't help but think of how it might affect all of us," said Fincke.Boeing, SpaceX win new 'space taxi' contractsScott Powers, Richard Burnett - Orlando SentinelThe next generation of America's manned spacecraft will be produced and operated by the private space-transportation companies Boeing and SpaceX, NASA said Tuesday.The announcement means astronauts could be sent into space from Florida within three years, the first American-based space rides since NASA ended its shuttle program in 2011."I am giddy today, I admit," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. "I couldn't be happier."NASA announced a set of multiyear contracts worth $6.8 billion to hire Boeing Space Exploration of Houston and Space Exploration Technologies [SpaceX] of Hawthorne, Calif., to finish developing their new spacecraft and have them ready to taxi four American astronauts at a time to and from the International Space Station by 2017.Both companies will be launching from the Cape, though likely from pads at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station rather than from the NASA facilities at Kennedy Space Center.Boeing will be using its new CST-100 vessel, a traditional-looking capsule reminiscent of the Apollo days. The company gets $4.2 billion to finish developing and certifying its program, do a test flight with one NASA astronaut and launch up to six actual taxi flights.SpaceX will use its Dragon V2, a more modern-looking design based on its Dragon capsule that has been ferrying NASA supplies to the space station for the past two years. SpaceX gets $2.6 billion to do all the same things as Boeing. The difference in price reflects that SpaceX requested less money, said Kathy Lueders, NASA commercial crew program manager.NASA officials announced the new deals while describing a future in which low-Earth-orbit flights will be expanded to private companies and eventually to private citizen astronauts. There also are expectations that other private space companies will develop low-Earth-orbit laboratories and other modules that would need astronauts."This really validates our plan at KSC to have a true commercial port," said KSC Director Bob Cabana.The last time astronauts went to space from Kennedy — or anywhere in America — was the final mission of space shuttle Atlantis, which came back to Earth on July 21, 2011. Since then American astronauts have been going to and from the space station aboard Russian Soyuz capsules. NASA is paying Russia $1.7 billion to provide that service from 2012 to 2017.Both Boeing and SpaceX have large operations in Brevard County, and their contracts are expected to add more jobs on Florida's Space Coast, though SpaceX has made no promises.The demise of the shuttle program meant the loss of as many as 10,000 Space Coast jobs at and around Kennedy Space Center. Though the space taxis would restore U.S. manned-spaceflight capability, the big hope for jobs growth remains tied to NASA's deep-space plans, which will not begin to materialize until late this decade and in the 2020s.Still, Michael Slotkin, economist at Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, said Boeing's plans to bring as many as 600 jobs to KSC will be a big boost."Even if you just take Boeing's jobs alone, they are going to have a strong multiplier effect, easily more than 1,000 more jobs in the next few months," he said. "That is clearly a big positive for Brevard County."Though NASA's commercial crew program could use the taxi service as early as 2017, that's dependent on the space agency's getting full funding in federal budgets, Bolden said.The space station is expected to remain in use through 2024.The two-service arrangement means that NASA is turning both to an old-school aerospace giant, Boeing, and the most prominent of a booming set of 21st-century entrepreneurial space companies, SpaceX, founded by Internet billionaire Elon Musk.Bolden said he expects them both to get fully certified and run competing space-taxi services. His goal, he said, is to spur as much commercial space activity as possible."Ideally, several years from now there will not be just the International Space Station, but there will be other laboratories, single modules and the like where the people can be going. And some of them won't have anything to do with the government at all," he said. "That's our vision."NASA's decisions means Sierra Nevada Corp. of Sparks, Nev., and its shuttlelike Dream Chaser vessel are out, at least for the government contracts. Boeing, SpaceX and Sierra Nevada were the finalists in NASA's four-year, $1.55 billion competition.In the development-competition phases, NASA paid Boeing $621 million, SpaceX $545 million and Sierra Nevada $363 million. Five other companies that previously fell out of the competition split the rest of the development money.ULA and Blue Origin To Team Up for RD-180 ReplacementMike Gruss – Space NewsUnited Launch Alliance, which launches nearly all U.S. government satellites, and secretive rocket-making startup Blue Origin will announce a strategic partnership in rocket engine development at a Sept. 17 event in Washington, a source said Sept. 16.The announcement will be made at the National Press Club by Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com and Blue Origin, and ULA Chief Executive Tony Bruno, the source said.The companies announced late in the afternoon of Sept. 16 that Bezos and Bruno would be making an unspecified joint announcement at 12:30 p.m. local time.The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the announcement would position ULA to develop an engine with Blue Origin to potentially replace the Russian-made RD-180, which currently powers ULA's workhorse Atlas 5 rocket but faces an uncertain future as tensions with Russia rise.The move would automatically insert a second dynamic personality from the dot-com world into the national security launch debate. Bezos would effectively join ULA's side in a fierce battle against Elon Musk's Space Exploration Technologies Corp., which has been fighting for a share of Pentagon business with a rocket dubbed the Falcon 9.News of a ULA-Blue Origin propulsion partnership follows a report in the Wall Street Journal that Blue Origin is part of Boeing's bid to launch crew to the international space station. NASA is expected to announce the winners of its commercial crew competition the afternoon of Sept. 16. Boeing, one of at least three companies bidding for NASA's Commercial Crew Transportation Capability contracts, has proposed launching its CST-100 capsule atop a ULA Atlas 5 rocket.ULA has been searching for a new engine after increased pressure from lawmakers and Air Force officials about the RD-180 engine, built by NPO Energomash of Russia and sold to ULA by RD-Amross, a joint venture between Energomash and United Technologies Corp.Dmitry Rogozin, the deputy prime minister of Russia, who oversees the country's space sector, has threatened to ban the sale of the engines to the United States for military use, although Air Force and ULA officials have seen no signs of a ban.Blue Origin, the Kent, Washington, firm bankrolled by Bezos, has told industry and government officials privately that the Air Force should consider a liquid-oxygen/methane engine.In June, Michael Gass, the former ULA chief executive, announced it had signed "multiple" contracts with unidentified companies to study potential replacements for the RD-180, and hopes to select a single concept for development this year. Among those companies, sources have said, is Aerojet Rocketdyne. The Sacramento, California-based company is the dominant U.S. supplier of large liquid-fueled rocket engines.The selected companies were asked to study technical feasibility of hydrocarbon-fueled engine concepts, and lay out schedules along with cost estimates and technical risks, Gass said.Aerojet Rocketdyne has been pushing a kerosene-fueled, 500,000-pound-thrust concept dubbed AR-1, which the company says could be fully developed in four years for less than $1 billion.Louisville's Sierra Nevada Space left out of NASA space taxi contractThe Dream Chaser — the space shuttle in development by Sierra Nevada Corp.'s Louisville-based Space Systems — was left out in the cold Tuesday when NASA awarded contracts for a new space taxi.NASA awarded $6.8 billion in contracts to Chicago-based Boeing Co. and Hawthorne, Calif.-based SpaceX, the private company headed by Elon Musk.The Boeing contract is worth $4.2 billion, and SpaceX's deal is $2.6 billion.Sierra Nevada, which also is privately held, was in competition with Boeing and SpaceX in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's program to ferry astronauts to the international space station on commercially operated transports.Since the space shuttle program shut down in 2011, American astronauts have hitched rides on Russian Soyuz rockets to the space station — at about $70 million a seat."SNC is disappointed NASA did not select its Dream Chaser," the Sparks, Nevada-based company said in a statement.The company said it is planning a session with NASA to go over the agency's decision, which will be followed by a "thorough evaluation" of its options for the Dream Chaser program.Sierra Nevada said it would offer no further comment at this time.The company employs about 1,000 people in Colorado.Earlier this summer, Sierra Nevada said it would continue development of the Dream Chaser regardless of whether it won the NASA contract. The company has secured a late 2016 unmanned launch date with Centennial-based United Launch Alliance.NASA officials declined to comment on the decision not to award a contract to Sierra Nevada. The agency "weighed the proposals against the criteria," said Kathy Lueders, an agency official said, while looking for "the best value for the government.""Anytime we don't win an award like this one, it is a setback," said Edgar Johansson, president of the Colorado Space Business Roundtable. "But the people at Sierra are smart, and I think they'll find a way to take their good engineering and use it."Peter Arment,an aerospace analyst with Sterne, Agee & Leach, agreed that NASA's decision doesn't close the door."There is still an opportunity for Sierra Nevada," Arment said. "Sierra has worked with SpaceX before."Small, high-skilled engineering firms have repeatedly shown themselves to be nimble and competitive in aerospace, Arment said.Sierra's Space Systems division also makes satellites, docking and berthing systems, and other space technology products.In 2012, Sierra Nevada received two NASA grants totaling about $220 million to help develop the fixed-wing Dream Catcher — a mini-shuttle.Boeing's CST-100 and SpaceX's Dragon are both capsules.Boeing had received $460 million in NASA development funds and SpaceX about $440 million."Our specialist teams have watched the development of these new spacecraft during earlier development phases and are confident they will meet the demands," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.SpaceX is already delivering space station cargo.Boeing, the veteran of the group, would assemble its crew capsules at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.NASA has set a goal of 2017 for the first crewed launch under the program.NASA's second shuttle carrier jet lands on public display in CaliforniaRobert Pearlman - Collectspace.comFor the second time this year, a NASA jumbo jet used to ferry space shuttles across the country has been moved for public display.
The younger of NASA's two modified-Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), known by its tail number N911NA, or NASA 911, was towed three-quarters of a mile (1.2 km) on Friday (Sept. 12) from an aircraft operations facility to the Joe Davies Heritage Airpark in Palmdale, California.
The early-model airliner, distinguished by two large vertical fins attached to the ends of its horizontal tail, was parked next to a Boeing B-52D "Stratofortress" bomber on the west side of the outdoor aircraft museum. NASA 911 will now join the Airpark's other displays available to the public Friday to Sunday weekly.
NASA 911 was retired in February 2012 after 23 years in service to the space agency. It flew a total of 386 flights as a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, 66 of which were ferry flights with a space shuttle orbiter mounted atop its fuselage. It was built in 1973 and for its first 15 years flew passengers for Japan Air Lines.Among the NASA shuttles it flew piggyback from Edwards Air Force Base in California to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida was Atlantis following the 2009 final mission to service and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope. NASA 911's first flight as an SCA was on Sept. 25, 1990; its first ferry flight was made with the space shuttle Endeavour on May 3, 1991.
Upon its retirement, NASA 911 had amassed 33,004 flight hours over its 38-year flight career. After making its final flight, the jetliner was initially set aside to serve as a parts provider for NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). Also based around a modified Boeing 747, SOFIA uses the jumbo jet as a platform for a 100-in. (2.5-m.) reflecting telescope.
Though it is now parked at the Airpark, NASA is retaining ownership of NASA 911. The Armstrong Flight Research Center has provided the aircraft to the City of Palmdale on long-term loan for its public display.
NASA's original Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, NASA 905, is now on display at Space Center Houston, the visitor center for NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. That aircraft, which flew NASA's first shuttle approach and landing tests in 1977 and, after 70 ferry flights, delivered the shuttles to their own museum homes at the end of the program, was retired in November 2012.
NASA 905 is the centerpiece of a new $12 million public attraction scheduled to open in 2015. A full size replica of a space shuttle orbiter was mounted on top of the SCA in August. When the exhibit opens, the public will be able to tour inside both the mock shuttle and historic aircraft.At present, the public visiting NASA 911 in California can only view the outside of the historic craft. The Joe Davies Heritage Airpark has plans though, to eventually open the SCA for tours inside.
The Airpark, which features almost 25 historic aircraft and related artifacts in an outdoor park-like setting, highlights the aerospace heritage of the surrounding area. It is open to the public free of charge from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with guided tours available Monday through Saturday upon request.Aerojet Rocketdyne opens new rocket engine development office in HuntsvilleLee Roop – Huntsville TimesAerojet Rocketdyne said Tuesday it is opening a rocket propulsion development office in Huntsville aimed at delivering a new rocket engine to replace a popular Russian engine now vulnerable to international tension.The office in Cummings Research Park will employ up to 100 new workers if development goes as hoped, company officials said Tuesday. It will be led by Huntsville native Dr. Jerrol "Jay" Littles in coordination with former acting Marshall Space Flight Center director and Stennis Space Center director Gene Goldman.The company said the new AR 1 rocket it plans to develop will be the first advanced hydrocarbon liquid-fuel rocket engine made by Aerojet Rocketdyne since it was formed by the merger of Aerojet and Pratt Whitney Rocketdyne in 2013.''Our goal is ... nothing short of a renaissance in American rocket engine development," parent company GenCorp President and CEO Scott Seymour said in a statement.The company is proposing its new engine to meet the Air Force's desire to find a replacement for the Russian RD-180 engine and possibly an entirely new launch system for America's national security satellites. Those launches are now made aboard Atlas rockets built by United Launch Alliance in Decatur and powered by the RD-180 engines.The Air Force has asked companies to submit information by this Friday on systems they have in development to meet the government's needs. Aerojet Rocketdyne competitors are expected to include SpaceX, Blue Origin and Orbital ATK. Working with Aerojet Rocketdyne are Huntsville companies Dynetics, Inc. and Teledyne Brown Engineering.New competitors including Elon Musk SpaceX and the tension with Russia has led the government to look at its entire launch infrastructure for putting national security and communications satellites into space. The simplest step is a replacement engine for the RD-180 that keeps the Atlas V booster. But the Air Force is asking if there is a "clean sheet" case for changing the entire launch system."We were working this before it became a national issue," GenCorp Vice President John Schumacher told AL.Com Tuesday. The new engine the company proposes can reduce reliance on Russia, he said, "but also can meet the needs of the nation today and in the future and position the United States back in the front of hydrocarbon propulsion in an affordable and reliable way."Locating the office in Huntsville puts it close to the city's academic resources, government assets and aerospace industry, Goldman said. It is also convenient to Pratt & Whitney facilities in West Palm Beach, Fla., the Stennis Flight Center in Mississippi and the United Launch Alliance planet in Decatur.ENDMore at www.spacetoday.net
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